Excellent CD
Captures the essence of the film and allows my daughters to enjoy the music they know so well without sitting in front of a TV.

Go-go magic carpet ride!
I was hoping that the Aladdin soundtrack would be re-released for the Platinum edition DVD and now it sounds better than ever with its all new enhanced music. You also get the extra tracks that were never released with the original CD. If you're a fan of the music and songs from Aladdin, then I definitely recommend this re-release.

Great sound, great songs, but . . .
I concur with all the other reviews. These are some Menkein's best songs, and Ashman's lyrics are superior. The bonus tracks are wonderful, although I question the newer version of "A whole new world."

My beef with this and many other soundtracks is the rearrangement of the material from movie order. I'm sure for cassettes it was handier to have songs on one side and background music on the other. But in CD format, it means you emotionally go through the story twice. Come one, why not give us the material in show order. Not all CD players can be programmed so that isn't the right answer. The same holds true for Lion King (movie). Is it SOOoo hard to put the songs and background in the film order?

something's missing ....
in 1992, walt disney pictures continued their hold on the world of animated entertainment with aladdin. that year, aladdin snagged 217 million dollars and was the highest grossing film of the year; it also won two academy awards for best score and best original song. however, compared to other works by the same composer and lyricists?

First up is the academy award winning score by alan menken. the score shows brilliantly what menken's greatest strength is. he can incorperate elements of both the story and the setting to make a great score that fits perfectly in the film. his use of middle-eastern sounds, rhythms and instruments is great and brings an intensity that can only be provided by the setting. his score also shows his ability to stay fresh with each project and he rarely duplicates himself and his earlier works; that said, aladdin is the worst score for duplicating earlier themes, but its never enough of a problem to truely seem that flawed.

SCORE 5 out of 5

during this production, howard ashman (menken's lyricist for little shop of horrors, the little mermaid and beauty and the beast) died. several of his works remain but tim rice was brought on to finish the remaining songs. ashman was an amazing force in musical entertainment and his death was a true tragedy, but how does rice do filling in? the truth is not all that bad. the following is a breakdown of all the songs from the picture.

ARABIAN NIGHTS -(ashman) this is one of the strongest songs of the entire piece performed by bruce adler. the intensity of the vocals and use of local rhythms and sounds provides a great opening that clearly shows how "we're not in kansas anymore"
5 out of 5

ONE JUMP AHEAD -(rice) this is the real opening where we first meet aladdin (sung by brad kane) and the guards chasing him. this is a fun broadway-esque number but falls somewhat short of other disney openers, notably beauty and the beast. however this is definately another strong song from this great soundtrack
5 out of 5

ONE JUMP AHEAD (REPRISE) -(rice) this is a softer, slower reprise that is beautiful and touching. maybe a longer or similar version would've fleshed out the entire piece better and given more depth and emotion.
5 out of 5

FRIEND LIKE ME -(ashman) as strong as this song is, the only problem is that by here, the whole jazzy feel doesnt quite work as well. this is a strong song (it is the second academy award nominated song) but by here, the whole over-the-top and larger-than-life feel is getting a little old.
4 out of 5

PRINCE ALI -(ashman) another strong song that works mildly better than the above due to the fullness of the orchestrations, but again is feeling a little bit too large but still fun and again broadway-esque
4 out of 5

A WHOLE NEW WORLD -(rice) here it is, 1992's winner for best original song and well deserving too. finally we find a song that is moving and emotional. this is the strongest song out out of the film easily; it is powerful and establishes aladdin and jasmine's love for one another. brad kane and lea solanga's vocals are both truly beautiful and moving as well
5 out of 5

PRINCE ALI (REPRISE) -(rice) this is a deveously fun little track sung by jafar that definately could've been a little bit more fun if it was a little longer, but still fun in a darker way.
4 out of 5

SONGS OVERALL 4 out of 5

the biggest problem overall is probably in the material. it didn't offer any real moments for a soft moving ballad (a whole new world aside). ashman's death definately weighs heavily on this album since one sits and wonders what he could have done, but really even his contributions show just how fun a piece this is intended to be, it's not supposed to be as powerful as other disney works. aladdin definately succeeds here, but in the grander scale of things, this is disney's weakest contribution to the disney rennisaince.

It has oomph...
It's surprising, very suprising. The score is excellent, it's suprisingly strong for this genre. The songs, although not brilliant in composition, at least have catchy lyrics and an infectious melody. Alan Menken is a Disney guy, and you'll hear reminices of 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'The Little Mermaid' throughout the CD. I haven't actually listened to the 'Special Edition' of the Aladdin soundtrack, so I can't rate the extra songs and features, but I trust the original score and songs have remained unchanged. In closing--don't judge a CD by its cover. Come to think of it, don't judge this movie by its cover. If you actually take the time to stop and look past the goofy stuff 'Aladdin' is a beautiful--and entertaining--movie. If this movie wasn't animated (marvellously animated, I might add) this score would probably be considered the ultimate paragon of 'Arabian Nights.'